ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 02: James Paxton #65 of the Seattle Mariners pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 2, 2014 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Ladner lefty will start for the M's in Tuesday's home opener in Seattle.

Check another item off James Paxton’s baseball bucket list.

The Ladner left-hander, who made his major league debut last September for the Seattle Mariners and then landed a spot on Seattle’s opening-day roster this spring, gets the start on the mound for the M’s home opener Tuesday night versus the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field.

Combine his victory last Wednesday in Anaheim with his four starts last season, and Paxton is 4-0, with a barely visible 1.16 earned run average, as a big leaguer. He has given up a mere 17 hits in 31 innings, while striking out 30 and walking nine.

It’s hard to fathom kicking off life in the majors any better.

“It has definitely hit me a little bit. It’s a great honour to be getting the nod for the opener,” Paxton, 25, stated in an interview over the weekend from Oakland, where the M’s were playing. “I’m really excited to get to Seattle and pitch in front of our fans.

“I was confident in my abilities when I was coming up through the minors. There were some struggles, for sure, and I think that learning how to deal with those struggles is part of the path to the big leagues. I am thrilled to be here now and look forward to continuing to work hard at becoming a better pitcher.”

It hasn’t been a straight shot.

Baseball America, for instance, named Paxton, the 52nd best prospect in the game going into the 2012 season. They dropped him to 87th last spring and then 99th prior to the current campaign.

LADNER, BC.: JUNE 9, 2009 — University of Kentucky pitcher James Paxton with parents Ted and Barb following the major league baseball draft, at home in Ladner, BC. on June 9, 2009. (NICK PROCAYLO/ THE PROVINCE)

In 2011, he obliterated the competition at stops in Single A and Double A (6-3 record, 2.37 ERA), but saw his numbers come back to earth in 2012 in Double A (9-4 record, 3.05 ERA).

He had his struggles for much of last season at Triple A (8-11, 4.45 ERA) but he tweaked his delivery, shortening it up ever so slightly, six weeks before getting the call from Seattle. That gave him a more consistent release point and improved his command.

His last start there, which saw him give up one run over eight innings on five hits while striking out seven, was arguably his best performance at that level. Oddly enough, it was arguably his his fifth-best showing of the year, after his four starts with Seattle. He had wins over the Tampa Bay Rays at home and St. Louis Cardinals on the road in that stretch and a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on the road.

“Last September helped me get use to what it is like to play on a big-league field. Learning how to channel my focus in those loud stadiums is important to my success,” he explained.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Paxton, a Ladner Minor Baseball product who would practice for hours with his dad Ted at Leslie Park as a kid and went on to flourish in the B.C. Premier League with the North Delta Blue Jays, says he focussed on getting his legs stronger this off-season, figuring it would help him be capable of throwing more innings. He was also into yoga, in a bid to improve his flexibility.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 2, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Paxton, who was a fourth-round draft pick of the M’s in 2010 after failing to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays as one of their 2009 first rounders, had a solid spring training this time around, fashioning a 3.60 ERA over 15 innings.

Seattle also had openings in its starting rotation, due to injuries to veteran Hishashi Iwakuma (finger) and prospects Taijuan Walker (shoulder inflammation) and Danny Hultzen (shoulder surgery).

The Seattle media has tried to tag Walker, Hultzen and Paxton as The BIg Three, although it hasn’t stuck to any regard. Paxton has routinely been mentioned third in that group, behind right-hander Walker, 21, a 2010 first-round draft pick who was Baseball America’s 11th best prospect going into this season, and southpaw Hultzen, 24, a 2011 first rounder who was 29th on Baseball America’s 2013 list and will likely miss this entire season.

Paxton’s certainly the name to know among them right now.

He is one of the harder throwing lefties in the game. In that 8-2 win over the Angels last week, he scattered two hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out nine and walking two. According to ESPN, his final fastball of the game was clocked at 97 miles per hour.

Fifty-six of his 99 offerings on the night were fastballs, according to ESPN, but seven of those nine strikeouts were finished off with his curveball. Baseball America has ranked his curveball best in the Seattle system the past three years.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.